Going "crazy" with constant ringing in my ears. Anyone else affected by this? Please HELP.

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Eff2013

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This has just started for me and is very uncomfortable and distressing. At night it drives me crazy.
Is anyone out there affected by this? Any suggestion? Is it something that will pass?
 
Hi eff. How is it today? Are you having any other issues with it? Tinnitus is tricky, so many reasons for it. My husband has permanent hearing loss and tinnitus from a past infection. He started with sinus, then eye, then ear, then bell's palsy, over many months. Other things can play a role, like TMJ and even psoriatic arthritis.
 
Hi RLG. Thank you for this quick reply. This forum is a godsend for me. Last night was very uncomfortable. I tried deep breathing and focusing on other things (anything BUT this hissing sound) but nothing really helped. 😔You mentioned TMJ and Bell's palsy. I do suffer from TMJ pain and I did have Bell's palsy when I was eighteen but didn' know that these could be connected.
I don't have psoriatic arthritis but my father did. Thank goodness I don't.
Going to the doctor's for a check up can be a little tricky because we are in total lockdown. I feel like this is not an emergency. (not yet anyway).
You mentioned that your husband has tinnitus. How was he diagnosed? Did he see an ear, nose and throat specialist?
Once again, thanks.😊
 
You poor thing, that's miserable. For my hubby, his whole issue started with a bad sinus infection that went on for weeks. His eyes turned bright red so he went to urgent care, not pinkeye. They gave him drops and antibiotics, if I recall right. Then a few months later he called me from another emergency clinic and said he had suddenly lost his hearing at work. He went to an ENT and was 90% deaf in one ear, and 15% loss in the other one from Sudden Sensorineureal Hearing Loss. Massive high doses of steroids eventually helped him regain most of the hearing, but that was about two years ago and he still has partial deafness in the worst ear and constant tinnitus. He says it is worse at night when he's trying to sleep. Then...one day soon after that he came from work and I asked him what was wrong with his eye. He couldn't close one eye and his mouth was drooping. Back to urgent care and the ENT--Bell's Palsy. All apparently from the same bad sinus infection, they think. The infection or virus got into the cranial nerves of his face. That's what they said.
I have TMJ and I do get pain in my ear, like sharp pain once in a while. I have had swimmer's ear and lots of ringing at times, too. It drives you nuts. I get the whooshing and sometimes I swear it has to do with orthostatic hypotension. I intend to bring that question up at my next check-up. I have read that PsA/arthritis can affect the ear, too. Look into the TMJ and fibro connection. Maybe you have a virus? I sure hope you get some relief ASAP!!
 
Thanks.🤗
You poor thing, that's miserable. For my hubby, his whole issue started with a bad sinus infection that went on for weeks. His eyes turned bright red so he went to urgent care, not pinkeye. They gave him drops and antibiotics, if I recall right. Then a few months later he called me from another emergency clinic and said he had suddenly lost his hearing at work. He went to an ENT and was 90% deaf in one ear, and 15% loss in the other one from Sudden Sensorineureal Hearing Loss. Massive high doses of steroids eventually helped him regain most of the hearing, but that was about two years ago and he still has partial deafness in the worst ear and constant tinnitus. He says it is worse at night when he's trying to sleep. Then...one day soon after that he came from work and I asked him what was wrong with his eye. He couldn't close one eye and his mouth was drooping. Back to urgent care and the ENT--Bell's Palsy. All apparently from the same bad sinus infection, they think. The infection or virus got into the cranial nerves of his face. That's what they said.
I have TMJ and I do get pain in my ear, like sharp pain once in a while. I have had swimmer's ear and lots of ringing at times, too. It drives you nuts. I get the whooshing and sometimes I swear it has to do with orthostatic hypotension. I intend to bring that question up at my next check-up. I have read that PsA/arthritis can affect the ear, too. Look into the TMJ and fibro connection. Maybe you have a virus? I sure hope you get some relief ASAP!!

A Big Thank you. 🤗
 
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If it is driving you as crazy as you say, it is worth a trip to the doctor.

I have known several people with permanent constant tinnitus. I hoe this is not going to be the case for you. But if it turns out to be, the only thing you can do is work very hard to learn not to let it bother you. That may sound impossible, but it isn't. It takes time and dedication but it can be done and getting used to it and not letting it bother you is far better than letting it drive you crazy every day. I know because even though I have not had that, I do have other chronic problems that are permanent, such as uncorrectable double vision and I have learned to adapt to them and not to let these things bother me.
best of luck!
 
If it is driving you as crazy as you say, it is worth a trip to the doctor.

I have known several people with permanent constant tinnitus. I hoe this is not going to be the case for you. But if it turns out to be, the only thing you can do is work very hard to learn not to let it bother you. That may sound impossible, but it isn't. It takes time and dedication but it can be done and getting used to it and not letting it bother you is far better than letting it drive you crazy every day. I know because even though I have not had that, I do have other chronic problems that are permanent, such as uncorrectable double vision and I have learned to adapt to them and not to let these things bother me.
best of luck!

Hi Sunkacola, at the moment I am really finding it extremely difficult to remain positive. I pray that it doesn't become permanent. Last night was another horrible night . It kept me up most of the night and it can be frightening. I felt like I was going to pass out. In the past I have fainted before for various other reasons and this brings back the same fears. Today, because of the lack of sleep and incredible pain in my right arm, I am in a bad way.😔 You must be a very strong person! How do you learn to adapt to things that are very bothersome and not allow them to bother you! I always believed that I was strong but this THING is taking over.
I have also looked back at other posts and no one here seems to have this problem with tinnitus. Is it related to fibromyalgia? What are your thoughts?
I am so sorry to hear about your double vision. That must be very frustrating. Hugs to you. 🤗
 
I don't know if it is related to fibro or not; have not heard of it being one of the common symptoms.

I wish very much for you that you find the source of it and something that will make it go away!

My double vision is only frustrating when I allow it to be. Most of the time I automatically work around it and basically ignore it so it doesn't bother me.

How do you adapt to something that seems unbearable? You just do. There's no special technique or magic that you can do. You just concentrate on other things and don't pay attention to it at all. You don't go around thinking or saying "this is awful, I can't stand this" and so on. You ignore it. Remember than human beings are very adaptable, and hundreds of millions of people have survived in conditions that look unsurvivable. People can adapt to anything if they want to or if they have to. If there's no choice, that is just what you do. I have adapted to things that were driving me crazy.

First, I did everything I possibly could to find out if there were anything I could do to change the situation. Then if I found out it was not possible ever to change it, I adapted. You either do that, and stop letting it bother you, or you go around the whole rest of your life allowing something you have no control over to interfere with your life every day and make you miserable. I simply won't allow something to do that to me.

It's not about how strong you are. If you tell yourself that then you can tell yourself "i'm not strong enough" and go on letting it ruin your life. That's kind of a cop out. Not everyone who has adapted to severely bad conditions was someone who was strong. They just had no choice but to die or adapt, live a miserable life or adapt, so they adapted. You can get used to anything. I am not saying there's not a limit to this. A person can find themselves in a permanent situation that they'd rather die than be in, and so death can be an option. but short of that - adapt.
 
Eff, I suggest you see an ENT. I know it is difficult in covid/lockdown to find someone seeing new patients. I contacted my insurance provider to get suggestions for Internists and Rheumy accepting new patients and they pointed me in the right direction--turns out I really like the new internist I found! If this is causing so much discomfort it may be viral or infection and needs medical attention. Meantime, do a self check for fever, swollen glands, cyst or bump around the outer ear, sores in mouth etc.
Thinking of you 💞
 
I don't know if it is related to fibro or not; have not heard of it being one of the common symptoms.

I wish very much for you that you find the source of it and something that will make it go away!

My double vision is only frustrating when I allow it to be. Most of the time I automatically work around it and basically ignore it so it doesn't bother me.

How do you adapt to something that seems unbearable? You just do. There's no special technique or magic that you can do. You just concentrate on other things and don't pay attention to it at all. You don't go around thinking or saying "this is awful, I can't stand this" and so on. You ignore it. Remember than human beings are very adaptable, and hundreds of millions of people have survived in conditions that look unsurvivable. People can adapt to anything if they want to or if they have to. If there's no choice, that is just what you do. I have adapted to things that were driving me crazy.

First, I did everything I possibly could to find out if there were anything I could do to change the situation. Then if I found out it was not possible ever to change it, I adapted. You either do that, and stop letting it bother you, or you go around the whole rest of your life allowing something you have no control over to interfere with your life every day and make you miserable. I simply won't allow something to do that to me.

It's not about how strong you are. If you tell yourself that then you can tell yourself "i'm not strong enough" and go on letting it ruin your life. That's kind of a cop out. Not everyone who has adapted to severely bad conditions was someone who was strong. They just had no choice but to die or adapt, live a miserable life or adapt, so they adapted. You can get used to anything. I am not saying there's not a limit to this. A person can find themselves in a permanent situation that they'd rather die than be in, and so death can be an option. but short of that - adapt.

Thank you so much for your very wise words. I will take it all on board! I really appreciate you saying that one has to look into a situation and see if there is anything possible that could help them change it. If not then adapt. To be honest I felt trapped because of the current lockdown. I panicked and let it get the better of me. I am usually really good at researching for answers. I will defenately try to see my GP and take it from there. Hopefully the doctor can find the source and make it go away. 😊
 
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Eff, I suggest you see an ENT. I know it is difficult in covid/lockdown to find someone seeing new patients. I contacted my insurance provider to get suggestions for Internists and Rheumy accepting new patients and they pointed me in the right direction--turns out I really like the new internist I found! If this is causing so much discomfort it may be viral or infection and needs medical attention. Meantime, do a self check for fever, swollen glands, cyst or bump around the outer ear, sores in mouth etc.
Thinking of you 💞

Thank you RLG, I will definitely look into seeing an ENT specialist after first checking with my GP. In order to see a specialist I will need a referral from her first. I hope all goes well. At the moment this lockdown is really making it frightening to visit any medical facility. We are in strict lockdown. We are only allowed an hour a day to leave our homes and that's only for supermarket shopping ,medical reasons and a walk around our neighbourhood.
I don't have a fever or any swollen glands that I know of but I'm hoping this will all be looked at when I see my GP. You are so kind. Thank you.😊
 
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Eff.......Regarding the ENT. Insist on it. Really. I say this because I went deaf in one ear one time and my GP at the sliding-scale clinic I went to said there was nothing to be done about it and refused to refer me to an ENT. I was deaf in one ear for a year and a half. I assumed it was permanent. Then it suddenly opened up again.

About five years later it closed again and I was deaf in one ear again. This time I said The Hell With It and I took myself, at great expense, to an ENT and went into debt to pay for it myself. He took one look and said "Oh, we can fix that" and he did. In five minutes. Believe me, it was worth every penny.
 
I have had tinnitus for over 20 years. Thankfully during the day I can ignore it. The time it most effects me is at night when I am trying to sleep. I have to have some background noise to drown out the ringing in my ears. I go to sleep with the tv on and set the sleep timer. I have discovered a free channel on the Roku called "Sacred Sounds". It has different sounds to choose from like waterfalls, forest sounds, or just relaxing music. I suggest turning on a radio if you don't have a tv in your bedroom or a Roku. Just a suggestion. :) Hope you find some relief.
 
Hi,
I suffer with chronic tinnitus. There are many opinions medically for the cause..stress, heart (pulsating tinnitus), lack of red blood oxygen, inner ear issues etc etc. I have read that it is now proven that cause of tinnitus stems from the brain.
Who knows eh!
I have severe sinus problems,FIBRO, CFS, pit adenoma plus a few other diagnosis. With crossover symptoms rarely do I get much help by go tbh....too much for them lol.
It can be hard to live with, comes and goes, hugely varying degrees.
In the UK it’s the Otology specialist who sees tinnitus sufferers, though referral goes through ENT.
I’ve has specialist test done, even on the brain for my tinnitus. Upshot was ending up with hearing aids which produce a noise (personalised set up by dr) which aims to drown down the tinnitus. They help but do not resolve the issue.
Stress definitely worsens my tinnitus.
Hope info helps.
 
TJB, your post made me remember that the specialist my husband saw an Otolaryngologist.
Wishing you good thoughts for all you are dealing with.
 
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